Finally: University of Chicago Warns Freshmen Not to Expect Safe Spaces, Trigger Warnings

Let's give Dean of Students John Ellison a round of applause.

Many universities are caving to fragile students' demands for emotional protection from offensive speech. The University of Chicago isn't one of them.

In a welcome letter to the incoming Class of 2020, Dean of Students John Ellison gives students the truth: there will be no quarter from controversial ideas on campus. U of C has made an ironclad commitment to the First Amendment, and will not abide safe spaces, trigger warnings, and other kinds of limitations on what is considered acceptable discourse:

"Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so called 'trigger warnings,' we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces' where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own."

Ellison pulls no punches. "Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn, without fear of censorship," he writes. "At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort."

A university administrator forewarning students that they might actually be uncomfortable is so unheard of these days that I worried Ellison's letter was actually a fake—even though The Chicago Maroonretweeted it. So I emailed Ellison's office to confirm it.

"I can confirm that the letter is authentic," a U of C spokesperson told Reason.

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110 responses to “Finally: University of Chicago Warns Freshmen Not to Expect Safe Spaces, Trigger Warnings”

Ellison pulls no punches. “Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn, without fear of censorship,” he writes. “At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort.”

Let’s see how many sit-ins. screaming snowflakes and social media attacks they can endure before the uni crumbles to the foot stompers.

There is an apocryphal story that something like this happened at Notre Dame in the 1960s. Students blocked the administration building; the President came out and said something to the effect “Anyone still here in 15 minutes is expelled.” Cleared right out.

This letter is of course an outrage, signaling a policy that leaves students and professors alike unprotected from speech that can make them feel unsafe and, even worse, seriously damage the reputations of distinguished members of the academic community. Would the University of Chicago president tolerate inappropriately deadpan “Gmail confession parodies” sent around campus in his name? See the documentation of America’s leading criminal “satire” case at:

P.s. the full extent of the criminal conduct allowed by this policy can be seen by the fact that the major decision of the New York Court of Appeals in the above-linked case makes no distinction whatsoever between “truthful” and “malicious” harm to reputation, and thus signals an excellent clarification of our laws. Instead of clamping down on speech that damages reputations, however truthfully, the University’s president appears to be endorsing the outrageous “First Amendment dissent” of a single, isolated judge, who has since fortunately been obliged to step down from his position as “chief judge” of the New York Court of Appeals on account of his advanced age.

This whole thing is Mccarthyism revisited. Eventually someone is going to stand up to the snowflakes and they will disintegrate as a group. The emperor has no clothes and these asshats have no actual power and pose no actual threat. They have been made powerful by the institutions that are terrified of them but at some point either slowly or as the result of an over the top incident people will wake up and strip them of their fake hysterical shrieking power. Can’t come soon enough. Maybe this is step 1.

I actually think I saw a performance art piece to that effect. Can’t remember if it was shitting or mentraution though. And it involved a can of spaghetti-o’s I think. Just search ‘interior semiotics’ on YouTube.

Having attended the U of C, I’m fairly certain the admin and the majority of students won’t stand for it. There is not much tolerance for the precious snowflakes on campus and I never worried about holding my tongue for fear of offending someone. I’m sure that tradition will stay strong.

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That’ll most likely depend on whether or not the University of Chicago is a private institution, with no government funding. If it’s regarded as a public institution, I can see the protests and petitions mounting for the lawmakers to force the safe-space/trigger-warning policies upon the school. If it’s fully private, though, the school can employ the FYTW shield at will.

Hillsdale College does not accept Federal funding. Unfortunately they have transformed from a quasi-libertarian institution to one that is rabidly pro-war neocon. At least if their newsletter is any indication. Used to be the newsletter would talk about Mises and Hayek, now it talks about how your daughters will be raped by Muslims because we are too afraid bomb Pakistani weddings.

Yes and no. It all depends on the political views of the people involved. If the offended person is a progressive then a crime tantamount to murder has occurred. If the offended person is not a progressive, then by being offended they are demonstrating intolerance, which is also tantamount to murder.

No, it’s an attempt at pandering. He saw the financial pain brought to Mizzou after their debacle, and wanted to reassure the billpayers (parents) that his money pit was not, in fact, a giant waste of funds.

Similarly, many universities are creating “safe spaces” where students can relax free from ideas that might be stressful or anxiety-inducing. Among these is Brown University, which last year created a room “with cookies, coloring books, bubbles, Play-Doh, calming music, pillows, blankets and a video of frolicking puppies” because a debate on sexual assault was taking place on campus.

Consider maybe that this was an ironic gesture. Maybe some administrator agrees that this is bullshit and filled with children’s amusements to send the proper message that those who want to partake of that safe space are acting like children.

Suppose that you had that job and were certain that there would be ramifications for your career if you didn’t kowtow to the screaming exposed-nerves SJW snowflakes. If you had to do so, wouldn’t this be exactly as you’d make it?

I would hope so, but I’m not sure if an administrator was responsible for setting up the “safe space” or if they just set aside a room and it was the snowflakes themselves who actually set the room up like a 3 year old’s play room. Unfortunately, I think it was the latter.

I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere near the place. I’m pretty good at controlling my laughter in most cases, but I think I’d lose it at the sight of grown adults playing with children’s toys because other people having the freedom to talk about things shatters their fragile egos.

But were the puppies pure breeds or were mixed race dogs as well as digs from all different breeds represented? Also, why weren’t any female dogs shown breastfeeding? I find this safe space very problematic.

Absolutely. I only wish the article had acknowledged the UC’s broader role in modelling behaviour against the total collapse of speech on college campuses. The University of Chicago statement on the principles of free speech on campus, to promote uninhibited inquiry, has beebn picked up by several other universities recently:

Dean of Students must be gagged And we’ll chain him to a chair Won’t you please come to Chicago for grieving In a land that’s known as tolerant we can’t let free speech be fair Won’t you please come to Chicago for the safetly we can bring

We can change the world rearrange the world It’s dying – to get safer

Non-progressives sit yourselves down, there’s nothing for you here Won’t you please come to Chicago bring your Pride Don’t ask Jill to help you `cause you’ll trigger xe with fear Won’t you please come to Chicago and join the one Right side

We can change the world rearrange the world It’s dying – if you want social justice Dying – and if you detest freedom Dying – let no man live his own life Dying – rules and regulations, we need them… close up all the doors

Clearly no one must be free I hope the day comes soon Won’t you please come to Chicago show your face All the SJWs of Twitter and every single Facebook loon Won’t you please come to Chicago no one should make you feel unsafe

We can change the world rearrange the world It’s dying – if you want social justice Dying – and if you detest freedom Dying – let no man live his own life Dying – rules and regulations, we need them… close up all the doors

There is no hypocrisy. You, being retarded, are just incapable of understanding the difference between criticizing a behavior and demanding that it be banished on threat of punishment. Unfortunately yours is a common mental illness among those of your political stripes.

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Obama must be pleasantly surprised at the massive support he is getting from the academics in the destruction of America. Tell these students and those at Commoner Low (nee Princeton U) they are free to attempt to emigrate to Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea et al, if they choose. Freedom, seize it!

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